Hey everyone! This is my first posted fanfic and I hope y'all enjoy it! I would be so incredibly happy if you would R&R (I'll take bad criticism too! I need to know how good or bad I did!) So have fun reading!

Oh yeah! I can't forget the disclaimer: I, in no way, shape or form own the Newsies or anything affiliated with them (I know, it's a down right shame! Looks like I have to let them go. **Wipes tear from eye as she opens the locked door**)



***



Racetrack Higgins rolled over towards the bright morning sun squeezing his eyes tighter wondering when Kloppman would be up to wake the newsies. Just as he was about to fall back up sleep he jolted up realizing that the sun wasn't suppose to be up this high in the morning for late March. Race searched for his pocket watch and upon finding it, he opened the gold object up to see what time it was.

'11:30! It can' be 11:30! We shoulda's been up hours ago. Somet'ing must be wrong.' After he shut his watch, Race quickly walked over to Jack Kelly's bunk bed.

"Heya Cowboy. Gedup. Cowboy… Jack." Race said while shaking Jack.

"Mmmhnmm." The sleeping Manhattan leader mumbled as he turned his back towards Race.

"Cowboy, yous need ta gedup."

"Go back ta sleep, Race. We's still gotta while before Kloppman gets us up." Jack said in between stifled yawns.

"No Jack. It's 11:30."

With that, Jack sat up and faced Race. "What do yous mean a 11:30? Why didn't anyones get me up this moining? I didn't get in dat late last night."

"No ones could get ya up accordn' to da fact dat dey's all still sleepin'. Somet'ings gotta be wrong wit Kloppman." Race said with fear prevalent upon his face.

"We's best go check on him den." Jack said as jumped off his top bunk and pulled on his pants. "Heya Skittery. Skittery." Jack nudge the sleeping figure in the topbunk next to his. "Skittery, gedup!"

"What! I didn't do it!" Skittery said as he sat up.

"I don't' care what yous didn't or did do. Jist start getting everyone up. Kloppman didn't get us up dis moinin and me and Race are gonna go and find out why." Skittery hopped off his bunk and began getting the rest of the newsies up as Race and Jack walked out of the bunkroom. Before the two even reached the top of the stairs, they stopped dead in their tracks. There, at the bottom of the steps, lay Kloppman spread out across the floor. Jack quickly walked down the steps still in some sort of shock like state and knelt next to the body.

"Race, go get one o' da guys ta get a docta!" Jack yelled back up the steps trying not to let his emotions show through his voice. Race nodded and walked back into the bunkroom where they boys were getting ready.

"Blink, Mush. Go 'n' get a doctah. 'N' go out da fiah escape." Race told the first two newsies he saw that were completely dressed. The two newsies looked at Race with concern on their faces, but quickly went out through the window. The other boys in the room became curious at Race's request and began to head towards the door before he stopped them. "Dutchy, Specs, yous guys bettah keep de youngn's in 'ere." Race ordered, his voice shock with fear as he spoke.

The rest of the newsies followed Race to the stairs. He stopped once again at the top, this time noticing that neither Jack nor Kloppman's body were at the bottom. The boys behind Race gave each other confused looks for they still had no idea what was going on. The boys continued to follow Race to Kloppman's room. Once they got a look into the room, they saw their leader kneeling next to Kloppman's bed, tears running down his face. They all knew now what was wrong.

**

"I'm sorry boys, there was nothing anyone could do to save him." The doctor looked around the room at the heart-stricken newsboys. No one bear to look at the doctor. "He must have had the heart-attack while walking up the stairs to wake you this morning. He was probably dead before his head hit the floor. I'm sorry."

**

"We are gathered here today to lay to rest a great, gentle, and kind man. He was the father figure to the boys of his lodging house. We will all miss him here on earth, but know that we will see him once again on judgment day…"

**

"He didn't have much to leave, though, in his will he left the lodging house residents his money. That is roughly 770 dollars. Divide between all of you; it comes to 22 dollars per person, which Mr. Kloppman stated in his will that 'it should cover everyone's rent for the next year.' He left the lodging house to someone out of state."

"Who did 'e leave da house to?" One of the boys managed to ask, trying desperately to hold back his tears.

"Well, let me see." The lawyer began to reread the short will to himself until he came to what he was looking for. "Ah. Here it is. Um… It says 'The deed to the property belonging to the departed Mr. Joseph Kloppman, shall hereby be left to his surviving daughter, Alice Josephine Johnson, and her husband, James Alexander Johnson. If the for mentioned are unable to take over the property do to prior business engagements, the property shall be bequeathed to his only grandchild, James A. S. Johnson.'" Some of the boys looked up at the mention of Kloppman's family. None of them could believe that he had had a grandson, let alone a wife. They always thought he had never married. "If my notes are correct, Mr. Kloppman's family has been contacted, and his grandson shall be arriving next Friday morning from El Dorado, Texas. I hope you boys will be able to take care and manage the lodging house until next week. Once again I'm really sorry." The lawyer picked up his briefcase patting Jack on the back as he walked out of the lobby of the Manhattan Newsboy Lodging House.

**

The week came and went slower than imaginable. None of the boys could fathom the idea of a new person operating the lodging house. In their opinion, no one, not even Kloppman's own flesh and blood, could ever be as nice and as caring as he was.

The boys sat in Tibby's Thursday night after a long hard day of selling, somewhat enjoying their meal, yet still depressed over the resent tragedy. Most sat around discussing quietly the day's events and trying to avoid the unavoidable events that were soon to unfold with the next days sun. Finally someone brought up the question everyone wanted to know but didn't want to ask.

"So… um… Jack. What are we goin' do about tamorrah? Do yous want a couple of us not ta woik 'n' go 'n' met 'im at de train station? Maybe Davey can get outta goin' ta school 'n' come 'n' help whoevah goes." Snoddy asked the leader of their group.

"No. Everyones gonna sell der papes tamorrah. I's sure 'e can find 'is way to da lodgin' house." Jack angrily snapped back at Snoddy while warning off any other questions.

No one was taking Kloppman's death and the news of the new owner harder than Jack. Of course every one of the Manhattan Newsboy Lodging House's residents looked to Kloppman as a father figure, but to Jack he was more. The younger newsies of the house looked up to the older newsies and the older newsies looked up to Jack, their fearless leader. That didn't leave anyone for Jack to look up to but Kloppman, a person he gladly admired. The deceased man's kindness, generosity, and the way he would let an orphaned boy stay at the lodging house for free until he had enough money to pay for some food and a bed for at least a week were all things Jack loved about the old man. While still picking threw the food in front of him, Jack vowed to himself that he would never let the new owner replace Kloppman in anyway, shape, or from as long as he was a newsy.